Abstract
One of the needs of the rehabilitation industry in the United States is definitive information on the capability of severely injured patients. As a beginning toward satisfying this need, this research reports the levels of force and directions of motor vehicle control inputs that can be exerted by high-level spinal cord injured patients or quadriparetics. Data were gathered with a special clinical measurement device designed for this research. The control input requirements of different kinds of motor vehicles are also described. A design approach is offered for accommodating the neglected requirement to operate motor vehicle subsystems, such as the headlamps and windshield wipers. The very important consideration of replacing lost hand functions by suitable orthotic devices is discussed and various design alternatives given. Three different adaptive control modifications of a popular van were evaluated under closed track conditions with both able-bodied and disabled drivers. These van modifications represent presently-available answers to the rehabilitative needs of quadriparetics, and the field evaluation results are discussed in terms of the performance capabilities this study has established.
Koppa, Rodger Joseph (1979). Adaptive control requirements for the quadriparetic driver. Texas A&M University. Texas A&M University. Libraries. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /DISSERTATIONS -151714.